In This Issue:
- Regional Water Policy Informational Session
- Funding Available for Local Energy Projects
- TIF Reporting Form Redesign Project
- Enrollment Deadline for Livable Communities Program
- Public Service Careers Survey
Regional Water Policy Informational Session
Metro Cities is inviting interested city officials and staff to an informational session on the draft Metropolitan Council Water Policy Plan. This virtual meeting will be held Wednesday, October 2nd, from 1:00 – 2:00 pm. Please click HERE for the Teams link to join the meeting on Wednesday.
Funding Available for Local Energy Projects
The Minnesota Legislature this year established the Geothermal Planning Grant Program. The purpose is to provide financial assistance to eligible applicants to examine the technical and economic feasibility of installing geothermal energy systems. The Department of Commerce will administer $1.08M in grants to local governments in Xcel Energy electric service territory. Eligible applicants for this grant program include counties, cities, townships and the Metropolitan Council.
Grants will be awarded for up to $150,000 for the planning of a geothermal energy that heats and cools one or more buildings. Eligible systems include a bored geothermal heat exchanger, a groundwater thermal exchange device, and a submerged closed loop heat exchanger. Click HERE to register for a public engagement webinar on Thursday, October 10 at 1:30PM to learn more.
In 2023 the Minnesota Legislature established the Solar on Public Buildings (SPB) Grant Program. The purpose of this program is to provide grants to stimulate the installation of solar energy systems on public buildings. The Department of Commerce will administer $4.3M in grants to local governments in Xcel Energy electric service territory. This is the second round of funding requests.
Eligible applicants for this grant program are local units of government including a county, statutory or home rule charter city, town, or other local government jurisdiction, (excluding school districts) eligible to receive financial assistance under section 216C.375; or a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota.
Grants will be awarded for up to 70% of the project costs (dependent on the government’s financial capacity) for a solar array that is built on or adjacent to a public building and is the lesser of 40kW system capacity or 120% of the building’s annual energy consumption.
Application Round 2 Webinars:
Contact Mike Lund at [email protected] or 651-215-4003 with any questions.
TIF Reporting Form Redesign Project
The Office of the State Auditor (OSA) is seeking feedback from municipalities and those who file and utilize the TIF Annual Reporting Form, as the OSA redesigns an updated form. The OSA plans to implement the new form for 2025 reporting that is due August 1, 2026. The OSA is seeking to improve the ability to monitor and track key information in order to comply with the TIF Act. To see the Sample Form and learn more about the initial version of the redesigned form, click HERE. Although the posted deadline of September 20th has passed, the OSA is continuing to receive comments through a brief survey on the TIF redesign HERE. E-mail [email protected] (please use "redesign" in the subject line) to share any additional comments. This is a good time to provide feedback. The OSA will continue to refine the form after and will republish it for another round of testing and feedback during the summer of 2025.
Enrollment Deadline for Livable Communities Program
If your city is not enrolled in the Livable Communities Act (LCA) program for the 2021-2030 decade and would like to enroll, the city is required to pass a resolution before November 15th, 2024, to be eligible to apply for grants beginning in the 2025 program year. For more information, please contact Sarah Berke, Senior Manager for Livable Communities, at [email protected].
Public Service Careers Survey
The League of MN Cities is partnering with the Citizens League on a survey addressing challenges and barriers to public service careers. The Citizens League is asking for feedback through an anonymous survey. The survey is available HERE.